The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Korach and is found in Numbers 16:1-18:32. In this parasha, Korah and his followers challenge the authority of Moses and Aaron – and indeed of God Himself– by claiming that Moses is giving himself special status and raising himself above the people. Datan and Aviram, members of Korah’s faction, challenge […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Sh’lach (or Sh’lach L’cha) and is found in Numbers 13:1-15:41. In this parasha, Moses sends twelve spies, one from each tribe, to scout the land of Canaan and bring back a report of the conditions the Israelites will find there. After forty days the spies return, bringing their […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, is Beha’alotcha and is found in Numbers 8:1-12:16. In this passage, we see a number of events about holiness. God tells Moses to instruct Aaron about lighting the menorah in the Tabernacle. He then tells Moses how he is to purify the Levites and consecrate them to serve in the sanctuary. At the […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, is Nasso and is found in Numbers 4:21-7:89. The passage contains several events. First, Moses finishes the census of the Levite families and everyone is given instructions on their responsibilities to temple service. The next section talks about how people who have committed crimes, are suspected of adultery, or have made a […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week focuses on Shavuot. Shavuot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals where the Israelites traveled to Jerusalem. Readings include Exodus 19:1-20:23 and Numbers 28:26-31. The first passage start with the giving of the 10 Commandments where God tells Moses to instruct the people to prepare to receive the Torah at Mount Sinai. Amid thunder and […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Badmidbar and is found in Numbers 1:1-4:20. This week we leave Leviticus behind and move on to the book of Numbers. The first parasha rightly focuses on numbers. God instructs Moses to take a census of the people. The men of military age 20 years and older are counted. […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Behar-Bechukotai and is found in Leviticus 25:1-27:34. Once they had settled in their land, the Israelites were to plant, harvest, and store the produce of their fields for six years. During the seventh year of the cycle, they were not to plant or harvest or to store produce that grew […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Emor and is found in Leviticus 21:1-24:23. God instructs Moses to teach the priests the laws that apply to their special status. No kohen (priest) may come into contact with a dead body, the principal source of ritual impurity, other than that of members of his immediate family: parents, […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Achrei-Mot-Kedoshim and is found in Leviticus 16:1-20:27. The parashah begins with a detailed description of the Yom Kippur ritual conducted by the high priest. The sanctuary is purified, and the priest in his elaborate vestments atones for himself, his household, and the community of Israel by means of […]
The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Tzaria-Metzora and is found in Leviticus 12:1-15:33. God instructs Moses and Aaron about tzara’at, a scaly skin disease traditionally translated as “leprosy” but clearly not the condition we call leprosy today. When a person developed a rash or other signs of skin disease, the priest was to examine it and determine […]